Chesapeake Bay Quick Reference Cruising Guide

Find Any Anchorage, Marina, or Bridge in Seconds

The Chesapeake Bay is one of the most rewarding cruising grounds on the East Coast, and one of the most complex, with winding rivers, shifting shoals, and dozens of creeks and anchorages to weigh on every leg. This Chesapeake Bay cruising guide puts the decision-making facts in front of you in quick-scan tables, so you can find the right anchorage, marina, bridge, or fuel stop in seconds instead of reading a chapter to find one detail.

Every Edition Fully Re-Checked

Every entry is reconfirmed for each new edition, not just reprinted. Information is verified through personal cruising experience, company websites, charts, reports from other boaters, and direct phone calls to marinas, boatyards, stores, and bridge tenders to double-check it. And we keep watching right up to the moment an edition goes to the printer: if a late change reaches us before upload, we make it, so nothing we know to be out of date goes to press. That diligence matters most for the data that changes: marina services, fuel, and bridge schedules. This is the September 2025 edition.

Once you're aboard, a banner on the cover shows the month and year the information was last confirmed, so you always know how current your copy is.

Built for Fast Anchorage and Mooring-Field Decisions

This guide is purpose-built for the call most cruisers actually agonize over at the end of a run: where to drop the hook tonight. Anchorages and mooring fields are laid out so you can compare them at a glance on the factors that matter: wind-protection direction, holding, current, depth, wake, and whether a spot is a true storm hole. That beats reading a paragraph about each. Everything is in scannable tables with no narrative to wade through and essentially no advertising, so you find what you need in seconds. The practical details other guides tend to leave out are exactly what's front and center here:

• Anchorages rated by wind-protection direction: a separate north, east, south, and west rating, so you can pick a spot for tonight's forecast, not just any spot
• Storm holes flagged: see at a glance which anchorages give true all-around protection when weather threatens
• Holding, current, and wake noted for each anchorage and mooring field
• Dog-walking access at anchorages and docks
• Pumpouts, plus fuel (diesel and gas), water, and propane refills
• Maximum beam, length, and draft for haulout facilities: know before you call whether your boat fits
• Free docks: one free night can pay for the guide
• Opening-bridge schedules and clearances
• Grocery stores within reach of the water

Coverage spans both the Western and Eastern shores, Virginia and Maryland, and all the major rivers, including the Potomac all the way up to Washington, D.C. Entries run clockwise from Norfolk: south to north up the Western Shore to the C&D Canal, then north to south down the Eastern Shore to Kiptopeke. That ordering lets you locate the resource closest to your position and compare your options at a glance.

What's Inside

The guide is organized first by what you need, then by location. Each category is a table you scan by column, with no lengthy write-ups. There are no chartlets by design: the guide deliberately leaves out maps (beyond a two-page overview) because adding them would slow down the scan for the one fact you need. Categories included:

• Anchorages & Mooring Fields: location, Active Captain name, depth, tide, protection by direction (N/E/S/W), holding, current, wake, dog-walking access, storm hole, and notes.
• Free Docks: location, name, depth, tide, and notes.
• Bridges & Ferries: location, name, clearance, tide, VHF channel, and notes including opening schedules. Cable ferries are included, with safety notes.
• Services: location, name, VHF, phone, and depth, plus at-a-glance columns for moorings, fuel (diesel and gas), laundry, showers, restaurants, grocery, water, pump-out, and marine supplies, with propane refills and walking distances noted.
• Haulouts & Boatyards: location, name, phone, travel-lift capacity, maximum beam, maximum length, maximum draft, whether DIY is allowed, whether you can stay aboard, and notes.
• Navigation Alerts: location, name, tide, and notes explaining each caution area, from shoaling and river-entrance conditions to fish traps and crab pots.
• Dredging Operations: how to read dredge day shapes, night lights, and pipelines, so you know which side is safe to pass.
• Horns & Whistles: the sound signals you need to recognize on the water.

How to Use It

1. Go to the right section: tabs take you straight to anchorages, free docks, bridges, services, haulouts, nav alerts, dredging, or horns.
2. Find your location: entries run clockwise from Norfolk through every major river.
3. Read across the columns: check the details that matter for the call you're making: wind protection, bridge clearance, depth, or which marina has what.

Anchorage Names

All anchorage names are Active Captain names, so they can be overlaid on any navigation app such as Garmin, Navionics, or Aqua Map for quick cross-reference.

Format

Spiral-Bound Print

An 8.5" × 5.5" lay-flat guide on heavyweight paper, with bright section tabs and a glare-resistant matte finish. The spiral binding lies flat for hands-free use at the helm.

Made in the USA

Designed in the USA and printed in the USA, with minimal packaging.

Details

• Edition: September 2025; fully reconfirmed each edition
• Coverage: Chesapeake Bay, Western and Eastern shores, Virginia and Maryland, all major rivers including the Potomac to Washington, D.C.; Norfolk to the C&D Canal to Kiptopeke
• Organization: by category, then by location, clockwise from Norfolk
• Categories: Anchorages & Mooring Fields, Free Docks, Bridges & Ferries (incl. cable ferries), Services, Haulouts & Boatyards, Navigation Alerts, Dredging Operations, Horns & Whistles
• Standout data fields: anchorages rated by wind-protection direction (N/E/S/W), storm holes flagged, dog-walking access, pump-outs, propane refills, free docks, maximum beam/length/draft for haulouts, opening-bridge schedules, dredge-passage guidance
• Formats: spiral-bound print, instant PDF download, print + PDF combo; also available for Kindle
• Print size: 8.5" × 5.5", lay-flat spiral binding, heavyweight paper
• Print finish: glare-resistant matte
• Print weight: 0.9 lb
• Anchorage naming: Active Captain names, compatible with navigation apps (Garmin, Navionics, Aqua Map)
• Made in: designed and printed in the USA